Cowlitz River
- Bank
anglers are catching some late winter run steelhead and spring chinook.
Last week Tacoma Power recovered 190 spring chinook adults, 37 jacks,
127 winter-run steelhead and six summer-run steelhead at the Cowlitz
Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations.
River flows at Mayfield
Dam are approximately 5,170 cubic feet per second on Monday, May 7.
On Wednesday, May 9 flows will be increased to approximately 6,200 cubic
feet per second for a 12-hour period. Currently the water visibility
is over three feet.
Kalama
River - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged an adult
chinook per every other rod while bank anglers averaged one per 7 rods
when including fish released. Catch is spread throughout the system.
Lewis River
- Boat anglers averaged over ½ fish per rod while bank anglers
averaged one per nearly 8 rods. Catch was spread from the mouth to the
salmon hatchery. The Cedar Creek area has been crowded although good
catches have been reported there in the evening.
Flows below
Merwin Dam were 2,750 cfs today, about half the long-term mean for this
date.
Wind River
- Catch and effort remains fairly stable. Including fish released,
boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 5.5 rods. Bank anglers were
catching some fish at the mouth, in the gorge, and at the coffer dam.
Effective
last Saturday (May 5), up to two spring chinook or hatchery steelhead
may be retained in the daily limit from the Wind River. In addition,
the area upstream from Shipherd Falls opened to fishing. Wild chinook
must be released from Shipherd Falls downstream.
Drano Lake
- Catch and effort is increasing. Boat anglers averaged a chinook
per about every 3 rods while bank anglers one per every 5 rods when
including fish released. Up to 100 boats on weekend days and 40-90 during
weekdays. The first three fish had returned to the hatchery through
May 4.
White Salmon
River - Bank anglers at the mouth are reported catching up to a
half-dozen fish per day.
Klickitat
River - Bank anglers from Fisher Hill Bridge downstream averaged
a chinook per every 9 rods. Flows at Pitt were 1,900 cfs today, down
slightly from the 2,350 cfs long-term mean for this date.
Bonneville
Dam to McNary Dam - The recreational Chinook fishery above Bonneville
Dam closed effective May 4. The estimated catch includes 490 kept and
120 released from 2,800 angler trips.
- The upriver
spring Chinook count through May 6 at Bonneville Dam totaled 41,372
spring Chinook. Based on average timing since 1980, the run is 65%
complete by May 6. Late timed runs average 50% complete during the
same time frame.
- The Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC) met today to review the stock status of upriver
spring Chinook. TAC concluded that the pre-season forecast of 78,500
fish remains a good estimate, and falls in the middle of projected
run size estimates.
- The Joint
Staff recommends a Joint State Hearing be scheduled at 1PM Monday
May 14 via telephone. Staff will continue to monitor the run and will
request a hearing earlier if warranted.
